Preview: 2012 Triumph Speed Triple R

Triumph Speed Triple R.

handout

Triumph Speed Triple R.

handout

Triumph Speed Triple R.

handout

By David Booth, Postmedia News

Originally published: May 17, 2012

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

If the Speed Triple were a dog, it would be an angry, yanking-at-its-chain Rottweiler. If Triumph’s rabid little three-cylinder were a rock star, it would be Sid Vicious. Were it female, methinks it would be Rod Stewart’s Maggie May with much wrecking of bed and an almost equal amount of kicking in the head. If it were a … well, I think you’re getting the idea that maybe the blindingly white Speed Triple hanging out in my garage is having a bad influence on my comparatively sedate (and I mean just comparatively, since the old Honda used to be a race bike) 1982 CB1100R usually ensconced there all alone.

That goes double for the R version, especially since Chris Ellis, Triumph’s distributor and chief bottle washer here in Canada, has ladled on a few accessory goodies including some, shall we say fruity, underseat Arrow exhaust cans. Touch the starter button and the bite immediately matches the bark, the big three-cylinder engine letting all in my little townhouse complex (and probably a few across the street at the Bayview Country Club as well) know that Dave has a new toy and he’s not afraid to use it.

It enlivens what is already one of my favourite engines in motorcycling. Three cylinders just seems like an ideal way to divvy up 1,050 cubic centimetres. Having less than four pistons means there’s more torque than in the usual multi-cylinder motorcycle and having more than two means the Speed Triple can rev higher than a twin. There’s said to be 133 horsepower on tap and anyone that says he or she needs more is telling you he or she wants to pop wheelies at 160-plus kilometres an hour (the Speed Triple already being extremely capable of said hooliganism, though, perhaps, at least with this rider aboard, at a more manageable speed).

Nonetheless, there’s plenty of oomph a flick of the wrist away. Speed Triples start making arm-yanking power as low as 3,000 rpm and stay on the boil all the way to nine grand. It’s a very wide powerband that almost makes the six-speed gearbox superfluous (though still welcome). Indeed, the Speed Triple is always eager to go to the point that it sometimes feels like it’s chomping at the bit. Part of that, of course, is those aforementioned Arrow cans that up both the amplitude and attitude, but Speed Triples in general best serve those who like to twist the throttle hard and often.

That’s an attitude even better served with this R version. Though the motor remains stock (again, save for those lovely accessory mufflers), the Speed Triple’s chassis has been upgraded with the best suspension and brake bits in the business. Both ends, for instance, ride on Ohlins, the bright yellow rear shock spring — not to mention the anodized adjuster — announcing somebody spent some serious money on this Triumph. Up front, there’s a fully adjustable NIX30 fork by Ohlins, while that rear single shock is a superbike-spec TTX36.

Those expecting plushness, however, are best served looking elsewhere. Instead, all of Ohlins’ vast suspension experience is directed at putting the Speed Triple R’s rider more in contact with the road. If that means you feel every little ripple in the tarmac, so be it because it also means that both wheels always remain firmly planted on the ground. The damping is, therefore, perfect when you’re twisting the aforementioned throttle hard and not so much if you’re just trying to glide over all the new potholes winter has sprung on us.

If you’re looking for a track day naked bike, the Speed Triple R is ready, especially since Triumph has fitted some very chi-chi Brembo Monobloc radial calipers to squeeze the big 320-millimetre front discs. The Monobloc portion of that already impressive portfolio means the entire caliper is machined from one giant block of aluminum rather than two smaller pieces bolted together. The difference may seem trivial, but it allows for much better feel to the rider, not to mention less brake fade, which may be a concern, again, if you twist the previously mentioned eager throttle. The other addition to the R is a set of PVM forged aluminum wheels that are said to be 1.7 kilograms lighter. Triumph says they aid both suspension and braking performance, but since both are already over the top, their biggest contribution is to look very pretty.

Of course, all this unobtanium goodness has a price and here may be the reason the Speed Triple R will be in short supply. There’s just not a big market for $17,499 naked bikes and only a few will likely deem the additions worthwhile to a bike that is already quite rambunctious. But, then, you don’t buy a Rottweiler to be a purse poodle.